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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781449093389 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 04/26/2010 |
| Pages: | 156 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.36(d) |
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Four to the Rescue
A D.C. Marek Youth Adventure: Book 3By D. C. Marek
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 D. C. MarekAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-9338-9
Chapter One
Heading NorthwestThe purity of a person's heart Can be quickly measured by How they regard animals ~ Anon.
Jimmy Pittenger was riding with his best friend, Mike Decker, to the northwest corner of Connecticut. He had been there once with his parents when they first moved from Indiana, but this time he was on his way to visit Mike's grandmother for a few days. School was out for spring vacation, and Jimmy was looking forward to the change from the flat coastal area of Stockton where he lived next door to the Deckers. Adele Decker-Dixon sat up front next to Mike's new step-dad, Tom Dixon. Caroline, Mike's fifteen-year-old sister was back in Stockton, staying with Jimmy's sister, Abigail, who was the same age as Caroline.
Mike was talking low to Jimmy in the back seat so as not to be overheard by his mother. "Let me fill you in on a few things about Granny Earlene. She's not your average grandmother."
"You're scaring me, Mike. You've gotten us into a pickle more than once. Tell me everything, or I'm going back to Stockton with your parents. I don't want to get stuck with a crazy lady or something."
"Aw, Earlene isn't that bad. Besides, my parents aren't going back home right away, remember? They're going on a short honeymoon." Mike stuck his finger in his throat and faked gagging.
"You call your grandmother by her first name?! That is so disrespectful, Mike."
"No, it's not. She insists that Caroline and I call her that. I think it has something to do with she doesn't want anyone to know she's a grandmother-makes her feel old I think. She tells strangers that Mom is her sister, not her daughter," he giggled.
"Ok, what else?" Jimmy's ears were popping from going up and down over the hills.
"Well, the man she is married to now is my third grandfather ..."
"You're kidding me."
"Nope. Vern is numero tres. That's Spanish for number three, in case you didn't know. She met him on-line. "My step-grandfather is from the South and Earlene's beginning to sound like a Southerner herself using words like 'howdy' and 'you all'. Wait till you meet her and you'll see she's pretty cool. We're almost there."
Jimmy couldn't help but think of his own two grandmothers back in Indiana. His father's parents lived on a farm and had been married forever; same way with his mother's parents. Both sets of grandparents were sweet, and spoiled him and Abigail whenever they got the chance. Jimmy's mother's parents lived in a small town and whenever he and his sister would go there to visit, his grandmother taught Abigail how to sew and cook, and his grandfather played basketball with him. Neither set of grandparents owned a computer. After listening to Mike, he was glad they didn't.
"Heeeere we are, Jimbo!" said Mike with too much enthusiasm.
"Now, listen up, Mike," his mother admonished. "You be on your best behavior while we're gone. Earlene's not used to having children around. And, please, try to stay out of trouble."
"Yes, Mom." He jabbed Jimmy in the side and whispered, "Earlene is the one who needs to be on good behavior," he laughed.
When they pulled into the drive-way, Jimmy was surprised to see a woman with blonde hair, wearing make-up, jeans and a tee shirt come out of the house. "Who's that?" he asked Mike.
"That's Earlene."
"Geeze, she really does look like she could be your mother's sister".
When the adults finished hugging one another, Earlene turned to the two boys. "Howdy, Mike. Come and give your Gram a big hug." After Mike gave the requested hug, Earlene said, "And this must be Jim."
"Yup, that's him. Guilty as charged," he laughed.
Jimmy shook Earlene's hand and thanked her for letting him visit along with Mike.
"Well, you're mighty welcome and it's you who should be thanked. Mike would be pretty bored with just us old folks. Although, I don't like to think of myself as old, just 'age challenged'. She laughed at her own joke. "So that's where Mike gets his corny humor from," thought Jimmy. He just smiled.
Tom Dixon unloaded the boys' bags and then said he and Adele didn't have time to really visit as they had reservations at a resort in New York. "I'd like to say hello to Vern before we leave. Is he around?"
"Vern's in town buying extra vitals. He'll sure feel bad that he missed you and 'Dele."
Mike whispered to Jimmy, "See what I meant when I said she uses words that you hear down South, but not up here in the North."
Earlene and the two boys stood in the drive-way and waved at the Dixons until they were out of sight. "Well, come on in, boys and unload your gear. Are you hungry?"
Mike, who was always hungry said, "We stopped at McDonald's on the way, but if you have any snacks I can find room."
Earlene laughed and said "Help yourselves. You know where I keep all the goodies, Mike." Just then, a huge all-white German shepherd trotted into the kitchen when he heard the cupboard door open. Jimmy jumped back, afraid of such a big animal.
"He won't hurt you, Jim. He looks ferocious but he's just a puppy at heart. He likes snacks as much as Mike does. In fact, I almost named him Mike, but thought maybe Adele would be offended. So, we named him Cowboy instead."
"Hey, Cowboy, old buddy. Come here" said Mike as he slapped his chest.
The dog jumped up and put his two front paws on Mike's shoulders and licked his face. He was as tall as Mike. Mike giggled and said, "Whoa, Cowboy, that's enough. You must smell the burgers and fries I had."
Jimmy started to put out his hand to pet Cowboy, but Earlene stopped him by saying, "Never put your hand out to a new dog. Sometimes they find it aggressive and you end up with your fingers chomped on. Let him get to know you first, and don't be afraid to let him sniff you. That's a dog's way getting to know your scent and if you've been with any other animals. Plus, it gives a dog a sense of what kind of person you are ... good or bad."
Jimmy stood still with his hands to his side while Cowboy sniffed him from head to toe. "He probably can smell my dog Laddie."
"Yep," said Earlene. "After Cowboy settles down a bit, you two will end up as buddies. In fact, if you want him to know you better and make friends, maybe you and Mike could take him for a walk for me. I'd sure appreciate it and I know he would love you guys for taking him. I feel bad that I don't exercise him more like I should. He needs a good dose of young'uns and fresh air."
Cowboy heard the word 'walk' and ran back and forth to the door. "Whoa, I guess he does want to go out," Mike said. When he heard the other magic word ...' out' ... it sent Cowboy spinning in circles with excitement.
"Just throw your stuff in the guestroom, boys. And make sure you put a leash on Cowboy. We've been having problems with coyotes around here. People have been reporting their dogs missing or worse, killed."
After the boys were outside and walking down a road with woods on each side of it, Mike said, "See what I mean, Jim? Earlene has picked up a southern dialect and uses words like 'young'uns' and 'gear'.
"Yeah, I noticed," Jim laughed. "But your grandmother seems like a pretty nice lady."
"I guess so," Mike said. Her big problem, though, is the computer. She's on it night and day. No wonder Cowboy is excited to be out walking. Earlene should be the one out walking instead of wasting so much time on the computer playing games."
Cowboy had to sniff practically every leaf along the road, not to mention lifting his leg on every rock. "Geeze, where does he get all that pee from?" Mike laughed. All of a sudden, Cowboy pulled on his leash, practically dragging Mike behind him. "Hey, cut it out, Cowboy. We're walking as fast as we can." But the dog insisted where he wanted to go.
Mike let the dog lead the way because it was evident Cowboy was upset about something that the boys couldn't see or hear. Cowboy led them off the road and down a steep embankment into the woods. Mike slipped on some leaves and let go of the leash. Cowboy broke free, barking as he ran.
"Cowboy! Come!" Mike shouted, but the dog was out of sight.
"Oh, great, Jim. My grandmother is going to kill me if something happens to Cowboy."
"Wait, Mike. It sounds like he's pretty close. The bark doing is coming from that direction."
They ran in the direction that Jimmy had pointed to. Scurrying down another small embankment, they skidded and stopped in their tracks. Cowboy was there alright, but he wasn't alone. A woman stood by a huge pine tree. She was dressed all in black from her head to her toes and a grey cat sat at her feet!
Chapter Two
Cowboy to the RescueMy little dog-a heartbeat at my feet ~ Edith Wharton
"Don't be scared, Lady. He won't bite," Mike reassured the woman who, surprisingly, didn't even flinch.
"Oh, I'm not afraid," she said with a smile. The way the cat rubbed up against his mistress showed that he, too, was not worried in the least.
Jimmy was in awe of the woman's clothing. She was wearing a cloak made entirely of black feathers. And when she raised one arm, he swore it was a wing. The only color among all that black was a wreath of beautiful colored flowers sitting atop her long braided blonde hair. A set of keys hung from one side of her belt and a sword hung on the other side. Even though it was scary to see a woman dressed like this in the middle of the woods, Jimmy couldn't help admiring her beauty. Her eyes were the same artic blue as his, but brighter. It was as if she could hypnotize someone if she wanted to.
"Wow, cool outfit, Lady," was all Mike could say. "Are you lost or something?" Secretly he thought maybe she had escaped from the funny farm.
"No, I'm not lost. I am exactly where I was meant to be. My name is Freya. Some people pronounce it Free-yah, others say Fray-ah."
"Never heard that name before. It's nice, though" said Mike. Do you live around here?"
"I'll tell you about myself later, but first you must get that dog to a veternarian."
"What dog? Cowboy??" said Mike.
"No, THAT dog lying under the tree over there." The boys turned to look where Freya was pointing. It was then they saw the lump of fur lying on a pile of leaves.
"What happened to him?" asked Mike, starting to feel sick after he saw blood on the animal's fur.
As they knelt beside the nearly dead dog, Mike heard a familiar voice shout his name from above. "Hey, Mike, what's going on? I saw you and your friend go down into the woods."
"Hey, Justin!" Mike yelled back. "Go get my grandmother. We need help fast. Tell her to bring the car."
"Why? What's the matter?"
"We found a wounded dog down here. Peddle fast, Justin. He's pretty bad."
"Cowboy?"
"No, but Cowboy was the one who led us down here. Now get moving!"
Freya said, "Come back here after you take the dog to the veterinarian. I not only will explain more about me, but also I have an important request to make."
The boys heard what Freya said, but their attention was on the hurt dog. Cowboy was lying next to him and licking the dog's wounds. The Dog did not stir. When they turned to ask Freya a question, she was gone.
What they did notice, however, was a black hawk with a grey mourning dove by its side fly up into the trees.
"Did you see what I just saw?" said Mike with a look of wonder on his face. "And how did Freya disappear so fast?"
"Yes, I saw it, Mike. And believe it or not, I think your question was answered."
"You mean that lady and cat turned into birds?! Impossible!!"
"I wouldn't mention this to your grandmother until we figure out what just happened. She said to come back here later, and if you say we saw a lady all dressed in black feathers, standing in the middle of the woods, and she turned into a bird you're grandmother might keep us grounded till it's time to go home."
"Yeah, you're right, Jimbo. One of the last instructions from my mother was not to get Earlene upset or cause trouble. We can tell her later ... after we find out what's going on ... maybe. Speaking of Granny, where IS she?"
Cowboy cuddled up closer to the hurt dog, trying to keep him warm. It was April, but there were still patches of snow in the woods. Mike took his jacket off and put it on the dog to protect him from the cold air. Only five minutes had passed, but it seemed like forever before they heard a car above them come to a screeching halt, and two car doors slam. Earlene and Justin scrambled down the embankment to the waiting boys. Earlene said in horror, "Oh, my. This looks bad. Poor thing must have gotten hit by a car and thrown over the embankment. Mike and Jim, pick up his back side gently and I'll take up the front. Justin, run back to the car and open the back door."
As they ascended the embankment, Earlene kept saying be careful because chances are his bones were broken. "Thank goodness he's unconscious so he doesn't feel pain," she said. Unbeknownst to anyone, Freya had put the dog into a trance for that very reason. Cowboy ran ahead and waited anxiously by the car. Mike and Jim climbed into the back seat with the injured dog lying between them. Cowboy rode up front between Justin and Earlene.
The three miles to the vet seemed like three hundred to the four people. Earlene drove as fast as she dared. Mike and Jim took turns telling Earlene and Justin how they found the dog, and that Cowboy was the real hero. "If he hadn't run down into the woods, we never would have seen the dog lying on top of the leaves. He was well camouflaged."
"I wonder who he belongs to?" Earlene wondered out loud. "I've never seen him around here before. Is he wearing a collar with a license tag?"
"Nope," said Mike.
Mike introduced Jimmy to Justin Walker and explained that Justin lived next door to Earlene and how they had become friends during Mike's visits to his grandmother's. The boys made small talk. Jim learned that Justin was his and Mike's age, eleven, and that he, too, was in the 5th grade. Before long, the car screeched to a sudden stop in front of a small white building that had a sign out front that read 'Winsted Animal Hospital'. "Wait here, guys. I'll tell Dr. Church to bring a stretcher out," said Earlene. A few minutes later she reappeared leading the doctor and an assistant. The veterinarian and his assistant gently lifted the dog and put him on the stretcher and wheeled him quickly inside. The other four people ran behind them. When they got inside the building, the doctor had disappeared behind a door. All they could do now was wait. The hands on the clock on the wall seemed to be moving ever so slowly. Cowboy lay down on the floor with his head resting on his two front paws. The look of concern for a wounded comrade was clearly written on his face.
The silence was broken when Mike asked, "Do you think he'll live, Gram?"
"I don't know, Mike. He looked pretty bad. But if anyone can save him, it's Dr. Church. He's done miracles with my pets over the years. All we can do now is pray."
The boys felt awkward at first, but one by one they bowed their heads and silently asked God to let this dog live.
Twenty minutes passed when Dr. Church came out from the examination room. There was a deep look of concern on his face. The boys all held their breaths, waiting for his diagnosis.
"This dog wasn't hit by a car. He was attacked by an animal of some kind. His wounds are deep. The good news is that X-rays showed no broken bones. He is awake now. In fact, he came to just as I placed him up on the table. I'll clean and stitch up his wounds. Also, I'll give him some shots to protect him from infection and rabies. He has to stay here for at least a couple days until he's 'out of the woods', so to speak. You say that's where you found him, in the woods?"
Earlene said yes, her grandson and friend found him.
"Good job, boys. If he had lain out there much longer, he would have gone into shock. Funny thing is, though, it looked as if he was just sleeping, and not unconscious from the wounds. When he opened his eyes, he yawned like he had just wakened from a good nap.
Mike whispered in Jimmy's ear, "That woman has magic powers, I tell ya."
"We have to get back there and try to find her. There's a lot we have to find out about Freya," Jim whispered back. Mike nodded his head in agreement.
Another thing that concerns me," the doctor continued, "is that there have been way too many dogs found either dead or missing lately. Something's going on, but I haven't figured it out yet. Ok, Earlene, I'll call you in a few days to give you an update for this dog, and hopefully he can go home, wherever home is."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Four to the Rescue by D. C. Marek Copyright © 2010 by D. C. Marek. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter 1 Heading Northwest....................1Chapter 2 Cowboy to the Rescue....................7
Chapter 3 Freya's Story....................15
Chapter 4 Power Is Given....................20
Chapter 5 A Team of Four....................25
Chapter 6 Star Witness....................34
Chapter 7 Operation Dog Rescue....................41
Chapter 8 The Enemy Within....................47
Chapter 9 Plans Are Made....................54
Chapter 10 "It Was A Dark and Windy Night ..."....................58
Chapter 11 In The Meantime....................64
Chapter 12 "You've Killed Cowboy!"....................68
Chapter 13 Trapped....................73
Chapter 14 "Can You Hear Me Now?"....................79
Chapter 15 Teamwork....................86
Chapter 16 Some Things Cannot Be Told....................91
Chapter 17 One More Rescue....................97
Chapter 18 Freya's Important Task....................108
Chapter 19 Kidnapped....................113
Chapter 20 Heading Back Southeast....................121
Chapter 21 Honored....................127